Three legends of baseball who are close to Vermont will visit the Vermont Mountaineers next Sunday and Monday.
Julia Ruth Stevens, the daughter of Babe Ruth, will make a return visit to Montpelier Recreation Field on Sunday, July 10. She was first at Recreation Field in 2004, the year the Boston Red Sox broke the “Curse of the Bambino,” by winning the World Series. She returned to Montpelier Recreation Field the next year to celebrate that event. Special recognition will be accorded her during her visit as she will celebrate her 100th birthday on July 17.
Monday, July 11 will be Pitcher’s Day at Recreation Field as former Major Leaguers Jim Kaat and Rob Delaney will be on hand.
Kaat, as he has for the last three years when he visits, will be working with Mountaineer pitchers, sharing his 25 years of experience pitching for five major league clubs. Jim’s MLB career was marked by 16 Gold Glove Awards, 283 wins and a Word Series Championship. Jim turned to baseball broadcasting on his retirement working for ESPN, MLB Network where his call and color of the game has earned him seven Emmy Awards.
Delaney, the first Mountaineer to make it to MLB will be making his first visit since he dominated the NECBL for the Mountaineers in 2005. He was signed by the Minnesota Twins in 2006 and made his major league debut against the Texas Rangers in September, 2010. Rob has been a part of five major league programs: The Twins, the Tampa Rays, the Miami Marlins, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Los Angeles Angels. Rob has been a crowd favorite as many a Mountaineer fans has traced his journey through organized baseball.